Virginia Pollinator Week

6/16/2014

WHEREAS, pollinator species such as bees, other insects, and birds are important to farmers and ranchers in producing much of our food supply; and

WHEREAS, pollination is essential to the health of Virginia’s state forests, coastal plains, wetlands, and grasslands, and provides significant environmental benefits that are crucial to maintaining a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem; and

WHEREAS, pollinator species improve the quality and quantity of Virginia’s crops, providing economic benefits for agriculture, Virginia’s largest industry; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth of Virginia is dedicated to conservation and environmental stewardship, including the protection and maintenance of pollinators and their habitats on both commercial and natural land; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Pollinator Week is an opportunity to acknowledge the economic and environmental contributions of pollinators to the Commonwealth;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Terence R. McAuliffe, do hereby recognize June 16-22, 2014, as VIRGINIA POLLINATOR WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.